Once you reach Playa Norte, the island’s main beach, you won’t want to leave. Its warm, shallow waters are the color of blue raspberry syrup and the beach is crushed coral. Unlike most of the island's east coast, Playa Norte is safe for swimming and the water is only chest deep, even far from shore.
Getty Images/Flickr Open
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.7 MILES
A white sand beach with manta rays gliding through the shimmering turquoise waters. No hotels. No nightclubs. No roads or cars of any kind. It’s hard to…
12.93 MILES
Surrounded by dense tropical forest, the contemporary Museo Maya de Cancún is a welcome respite from the beach and buffet lines of the neighboring high…
8.93 MILES
Driving down a narrow sand road, the turquoise Caribbean on one side, the glimmering Laguna Chacmuchuch on the other, you feel like you’re a thousand…
-
4.42 MILES
Head to this beach for excellent snorkeling. It's 6.5km from the tourist center. A cab costs M$100.
13.09 MILES
You don't have to leave the Zona Hotelera to find Mayan culture in Cancún. Before the beach umbrellas, resorts, banana boats and Spanish conquistadors…
13.83 MILES
Unfolding from the base of a mild seaside bluff, Playa Delfines is one of the most scenic beaches in Cancún. A languid stretch of sand with turquoise…
-
27.55 MILES
About 23km south of the Cancún airport, this former crocodile farm now calls itself a conservationist zoo that protects some of the area's endangered…
-
8.41 MILES
This avenue one block east of Avenida Tulum has emerged as one of the Centro's top restaurant and bar zones.
Nearby Isla Mujeres attractions
0.15 MILES
The lagoon separating a large hotel complex from the rest of the island has a shallow swimming spot that's ideal for kids. Despite the depth (or lack of…
3.22 MILES
A 19th-century slave trader and reputed pirate, Fermín Antonio Mundaca de Marechaja fell in love with a local woman known as La Trigueña (The Brunette)…
3.31 MILES
About 5km south of town, this beach is less attractive than Playa Norte, but kayaks and SUPs can be rented if you're up for some water activities. A taxi…
3.61 MILES
To say that this beach club has a maritime museum is a bit of a stretch, but it's as close as the island comes to having some culture, plus you get to see…
4.42 MILES
Head to this beach for excellent snorkeling. It's 6.5km from the tourist center. A cab costs M$100.